Sewage leaking onto stoves. Live wires. Mold. Missing smoke detectors in apartments and common areas, broken elevators that serve elderly and disabled residents, lack of heat in some residences, unmet state deadlines to correct violations.

These are just some of the dozens of health and safety violations dogging the Quincy Housing Authority following an inspection by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

“We’ve got such significant problems and we’ve got to make some major changes,” said Quincy Housing Authority director James Lydon.

It’s so bad, in fact, that one public housing unit inspected this week by state housing officials was deemed so unsafe that its residents were relocated.

And let’s not forget that the Quincy Housing Authority’s finance director, Bryant Carter, was fired Monday after police seized his work computer. Carter was then arrested Wednesday, accused of storing as many as 200 pornographic images of children on his work computer.

As grotesque as all of these accusations are, what’s worse is that Quincy’s housing authority has been problem-plagued for decades. That means that some of Quincy’s most vulnerable people – the elderly and disabled – have been forced to live in conditions that would never be tolerated in our prisons or animal shelters.

While managing public housing has its challenges – and the bigger the community, the bigger the challenges – Brockton serves as an example of how do it well. Though not perfect, overall it’s a model for how a housing authority should and can respect its residents and serve them well.

We’re pleased the state has stepped in to supervise the Quincy Housing Authority and to advocate on behalf of its residents. We commend the Department of Housing and Community Development for it.

But at this point, it’s essential that the federal government, which subsidizes Quincy’s public housing through grants and vouchers, conduct its own forensic financial audit. Considering the millions of taxpayer dollars that have flowed into it over the years and the complete and utter lack of even the most basic property maintenance, it’s long overdue.

In the meantime, Mayor Tom Koch was quoted as saying, “These things didn’t happen overnight. These things have been festering quite a while.” If he’s known about these deplorable conditions, then why hasn’t he used whatever authority he has to fix it? His own health department has been recording violations for years.

And what of the board of commissioners, four of whom are appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council, the fifth by the governor? They have said nothing, they have done nothing.

Page 2 of 2 - The current housing director, James Lydon, must reconsider remaining in the position. Lydon has been on the job for a year and as we’ve reported, he has no previous experience running a housing authority. We have serious questions about his qualifications and experience. We question his ability to address the years-long issues his agency faces.

None involved can feign ignorance of the serious nature of the problems facing the Quincy Housing Authority. There’s a long paper trail and multiple complaints from residents. It is the most basic rule of leadership to see for one’s self, but everyone from the mayor to the commissioners to various directors chose to turn a blind eye instead. For shame.

However the city, state and federal governments proceed, we hope they do so with the welfare of the residents uppermost in their minds. After all, our most vulnerable deserve conditions better than the ones provided to prisoners and animals.